The Chains of Command

by Kaipony

Burdens of Responsibility

Grubber, standing tall and rigid on a chair in front of Fizzlepop's desk, saluted with a fist over his heart. He brandished a small roll of crumpled papers in his other fist as though they were a sword, held aloft for teeming masses of conquering soldiers to cheer. "And that's how sponge cake was made," he declared triumphantly. Eyes closed, he bowed with a flourish. "The end." He waited, but there was no cheering or clapping. After a few silent heartbeats, he cracked open an eye and instead found a frowning, unimpressed Fizzlepop.

She sat in her chair unblinking with her front legs crossed atop the desk. "Grubber," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her snout, "not only was all of that incorrect on a culinary level, but the exile of Princess Luna did not result in a dessert-driven conflict. Neither would that have ever led to the creation of your favorite snack. Not in this or in any alternate universe."

"Never underestimate the power of cake," Grubber countered lightheartedly. "Besides, my version is a lot more fun." He climbed down from the chair and handed his paper over to the mare. "So, Boss, was that an A+ report or what?"

"The purpose of the assignment was to present a report on an event of historical significance." Fizzlepop snatched the assignment from the hedgehog. "It was not to create embellished nonsense." She tossed the paper onto her desk with a derisive snort.

Grubber, still wearing a confident grin, waved aside the criticism. "I prefer the term revisionist history. I found that in a dictionary. That counts for extra credit, right?"

"Where did you—never mind. Just... Let's table this mistake till later. Show me your math homework."

With another flourish, Grubber produced a single sheet of paper from under his shirt. He deposited it in front of Fizzlepop. "Right here, coach." He calmly inspected his paws and chuckled. "I think you're going to like what I did with the part on fractions."

With a suspicious grumble, Fizzlepop scanned the page. A single spark popped off of her horn, and her mohawk bristled. "This isn't art class, Grubber." She turned the paper over and shoved it into Grubber's nose. Sprawled across the page, numerators and denominators were locked in an epic battle while the mixed numbers looked on, somehow, with haughty disdain. "Why aren't you taking this seriously?"

Pushing the homework away from him, Grubber finally lost his smile. He leveled an accusing finger at Fizzlepop. "Why are you taking this so seriously? It's just school." He waved a dismissive paw at his assignments. "You and me, we've gotten along just fine without all this book stuff."

Fizzlepop put the pages aside and sank into her chair. "That was then. You didn't need standardized skills and knowledge to make announcements through a megaphone. Those days in the King's army are gone." She leaned forward, and her stern gaze bored into Grubber's eyes. "If we're going to succeed in Equestria, specifically, if you're going to succeed, you need the basics of an education." She sighed, looking away from her assistant. "The kind of education you were never afforded as my sidekick."

Grubber's ears flattened, and he kicked at a speck of dust on the floor. "Look, Tempest—" Fizzlepop shot him a cautioning glare. "Sorry. Fizzlepop." He grimaced at the name and shook his head. "Sheesh, you look nothing like a fizzle or a pop. What were your parents thinking?"

"Grubber," Fizzlepop warned.

"Right." He cleared his throat. "I know what you're trying to do, and it's nice." He sat down in the chair he had been standing on. "Not as nice as the whole not yelling and throwing things at me anymore, but I get it. It's just not for me. I'm happy just being your assistant and helping out with the kids. That's all. I don't care about this other stuff." He snorted. "You know, the Storm King's army wasn't exactly the kind of place where you got to hang loose. I want to have fun for once."

"This isn't about what you want," the mare insisted. "It's about what you need." She gestured to the pair of assignments. "And this needs to be done correctly."

"But, I've gotten along fine without it," Grubber whined, crossing his arms.

"Only because you rode on my back the whole way," Fizzlepop snarled. Grubber leaned away, a shocked look on his face, but the unicorn did not seem to notice and continued. "I did all the hard work, all the planning and coordination." She rose from her seat and began to pace, chin lowered and eyes sparkling with frustration. "Every idea, every battle plan and the restless nights those entailed were my creations." She halted and leveled an accusatory glare at Grubber. "At least the parts that worked out." She returned to pacing. "Sure, you handled the mundane tasks that I didn't have the time or energy to handle myself, but all the real work had to be directed by my hoof.” Bitterly, Fizzlepop said, “What I’m doing here isn’t about ‘having fun’ or slaking off."

"Is that why you asked me to come work here with you?" Grubber asked quietly, wringing his hands in his lap. "To be your little errand hog again?"

Fizzlepop halted again, but her sneer was gone. In its place sat a look of surprised worry. "I...no," she said. "No, it's not like that at all."

The hedgehog hopped off his chair and sniffed. "Sounds to me like that's exactly what you want. And I don’t need some fancy education to figure that out." He turned and headed for the door.

Fizzlepop rounded the desk and moved to intercept him. "Grubber, I—"

Grubber stopped and turned, scowling as he put his hands on his hips. "Tell you what, Fizzlepop. I'm going to go find the dessert line in the student cafeteria, and then I'm going to check out this ‘tetherball’ thing I heard some of them talking about." He turned and grasped the doorknob. "You won’t have to worry about me ruining your oh-so precious plans anymore." He opened the door and trundled out into the mostly empty gym. Nearer the far side, a trio of young unicorns was using their telekinesis to toss a ball back and forth between them, their delighted shrieks and laughs echoing in the cavernous space.

Fizzlepop followed behind Grubber at a short distance but did not try to stop him from leaving. "If it weren't for me," she called out to him, "you'd have been hauling trash in some mess tent." She stopped at the half-court position and raised her voice to Grubber's back. "So if you’re gonna give up like you always do, then fine! See how far you get without me!"

Grubber tossed up his hands as he reached the gym exit, slamming the door shut behind him.

Grinding her teeth, Fizzlepop kicked at the gym floor, scratching the wooden planks. "Why can't he see that I'm trying to help him," she growled under her breath. "That ungrateful little—"

"Heads up!" a young, feminine voice called out. Fizzlepop twisted around, pivoting on her rear hooves in time to see a dandelion yellow sphere moments from impacting her face. Her pupils shrank, and a tingle ran up the back of her neck. Within a heartbeat, the jagged edges of her horn crackled with arcs of raw magic, and a twisting lash of prismatic energy whipped out and deflected the ball, charring the surface. Its smoldering, deflated remains flopped to the floor. Smoke curled up from the peeled surface and licked at Fizzlepop’s nose.

"Our ball!" three little voices cried out.

Fizzlepop paled at what she saw. The three fillies had ceased playing and stood in disheartened silence, their eyes flitted from Fizzlepop to the charred husk of their ball. In their eyes, the mare saw an all too familiar mix of emotions: Shock. Sadness. Fear.

In her ears, Fizzlepop could hear the faint laughter of three fillies enjoying an afternoon of tossing a yellow ball back and forth. The laughter was quickly drowned out by a fearsome roar. Then, there were no sounds of laughter—only silence.

"I... I'm. Oh," Fizzlepop stumbled. She picked up the remains of the ball in her teeth. "I'm so sorry, children. Let me get you a new one."

"Um, th-that's okay, Miss Fizzlepop," the first filly said, her coat like that of a green opal.

"Yeah," the second, a child with a sky blue coat, added. “We’re, uh, glad we didn’t bean you in the face, I guess...”

The third, her coat a shade of lighter maroon, spoke up as the trio hurriedly departed. "We need… to get to our next class." With no other explanation or words, the students ran for the nearest door.

"But classes don't start for another half hour," Fizzlepop called out to them, but the three had already exited.

The gym doors swung back and clattered shut, the snap of the latch bolt echoing in the silence that followed. Fizzlepop dropped the remains of the toy ball, and her rump was the next thing to hit the floor. Her breaths came quick and shallow, and her eyes were wide and unblinking, as though seeing some image far beyond the confines of the school's gymnasium—something in the distant past.

"Not again," she whispered, hugging her forelegs around her barrel. "Not again."

~~*~~

Starlight's office was as eclectic as it had been since Fizzlepop was asked to stay on full time. She admired how the décor of Starlight's office had evolved since first setting hoof in the room to receive both a berating for her teaching methods and advice on how to improve. Kites of various styles and colors still floated overhead, suspended from the ceiling by strings, as though engaged in an aerial ballet. New pictures and a couple of scenic watercolors had been added to the wall's collection of frames and documents, their haphazard placement creating a collage of memories. Her ever-present curio cabinet had gathered a few extra souvenirs and keepsakes, crowding the already overstocked shelves. Finally, the well-used, overstuffed filing cabinet, whose contents of loosely rolled scrolls were always in danger of spilling onto the floor, had also been joined by an identical, and similarly stuffed, model.

Nestled within her own domain, a princess cocooned by her own work and evocative collections, Starlight Glimmer had her rear hooves kicked up onto her desk as she leaned back in her chair.

"These little talks of ours are becoming an almost weekly event, Fizzy," she remarked with good-natured humor.

"Maybe I just enjoy your company," Fizzlepop riposted with a smirk.

Starlight tipped the chair forward and settled into a more attentive pose, forelegs crossed in front of her on the desk. "So, what's up? Last week's PTA meetings still rubbing you the wrong way?"

"Ugh," Fizzlepop sighed with an explosive exhalation. "I could go on all day about entitled and delusional parents, but that's not what's bothering me right now." She rubbed her temples with a hoof and started slowly. "You know that navigating social niceties is not my strong suit. I'm good at navigating airships, training recruits—"

"Subduing nations," Starlight interjected with a snicker. "Though that last one has an iffy track record." She only giggled at Fizzlepop's unamused stare. "Sorry. Go on."

"As you could imagine, it turns out that my ability to deal with students who refuse to cooperate ranks around the same as my ability to deal with annoying parents." She cleared her throat. "Especially when a certain counselor always reminds me that I'm not allowed to coerce them with suitable disciplinary action."

Starlight shook her head. "Threatening to bury rowdy students up to their heads in the ground and spray them with a water hose while they chant cadences about being a bad bunch of brussels sprouts is not a proper motivational method."

"It worked on my troops," Fizzlepop countered with a mildly mischievous smile that quickly vanished. "I owe it to our students to make sure we aren’t wasting any of their time. Tiptoeing around instead of dropping the hammer on nails that stick out is wasting that time. And mine."

"Not the point," Starlight warned with a tiny smile. "Even if that same counselor agreed with you on very rare occasions. But let's get back to the point. Which students are giving you problems?"

"Not students," Fizzlepop corrected. "Just one. It's Grubber."

"Grubber?" Starlight asked, nonplussed. "I haven't seen him in any of the classes." She turned and began to sift through her filing drawers. "When did he enroll?"

"He hasn't enrolled. After school hours, I've been tutoring him on basic topics, and a few of the friendship lessons from the Headmare's curriculum. While he's cleaning up at the end of the day, I get homework from the other professors and guide him through the assignments."

"You're homeschooling Grubber?" Starlight's small grin broadened. "I'm impressed, Fizzy. That's really sweet of you." She clucked her tongue. "Looks like all my advice is working its magic on you after all."

Fizzlepop rolled her eyes at Starlight's gentle bragging. "I owe him as much for taking away his chance at a normal life." She lifted her chin. "Though in my defense, it was his idea to become my evil sidekick. I did what I could to discourage him, but he can be annoyingly stubborn." Her chin drifted down slightly as she continued. "But that doesn't excuse what I did a couple of days ago. I..." She cast her gaze at the floor. "I lost my temper and said some things that really upset him. And not only that, but there was a small incident immediately afterward in the gym."

Starlight's earlier levity vanished. "What kind of incident?" she demanded.

"No one got hurt or anything," Fizzlepop quickly amended. "At least, no living thing. I fried a hoofball when some younger students accidentally threw it in my direction. I didn't see it coming. It would have hit me, but I reacted on instinct." Her tail twitched, and she swallowed. "Starlight, it was just like when I was a filly. I did the same time trying to play with my old friends after my fight with the Ursa. I owe those students an apology and a new ball, but I haven't seen them around. They're probably avoiding me. I would if I were them."

Silence reigned for several moments when Starlight did not immediately respond. Her eyes probed Fizzlepop's demeanor as the other unicorn glanced around the office, uncomfortably searching for something to focus on. Neither mare said anything until Starlight leaned forward again. Her lavender gaze probed Fizzlepop's when they met.

"We'll come back to Grubber and the hoofball, but I want to talk about something else first."

Fizzlepop swallowed. "I don't like it when you get that look in your eyes."

"I've noticed that you seem to owe a lot to others, especially when you realize that you've been hard on them. As you obviously have been on Grubber. Otherwise, you wouldn't be in here right now." Starlight steepled her hooves. "Let's talk about that for a little while."

Blinking rapidly, Fizzlepop looked away and snorted. "I can already see where you're going to take that observation, so I'm going to save us both from another overly emotional discussion. I owe a lot because I don't like being indebted to anyone." She glanced back at her friend. "Being indebted is partially how I ended up working for the Storm King."

"Steal all the alicorn magic, and you'll get your horn back," Starlight muttered. "Got it. But that's not what's going on right now."

"If only everyone were so cavalier about my past," Fizzlepop commented. "But, they're not." She squared her shoulders and steadied her gaze. "I try every day to repay the debt I incurred to whoever seems to have been affected by my past actions." Her shoulders slumped a little. "But the effort is starting to wear down my patience. I don't feel like ponies, or anyone, even cares that I'm trying." Fizzlepop gritted her teeth and looked away. "And if I can't convince them that I'm not some unfeeling monster..." Her ears flattened against her head. "Then maybe I don't belong here after all."

Starlight thought for a moment and then rose from her chair. She rounded the desk that separated her from those who visited, be they student, staff, or friend, and pulled Fizzlepop to her hooves. The other mare allowed herself to be guided to a couch wedged into the office's front corner, and Starlight sat her down. Then, she hugged her friend.

Fizzlepop tensed. The touch was not unwelcome, but it was still a foreign sensation to her. For several heartbeats, she did not move, but after several deep breaths, she leaned into the embrace and allowed herself a moment of comfort. The two friends held each other for several long seconds before Fizzlepop gently separated herself.

"You're ridiculous, Fizzy," Starlight gently chided. "Of course you belong here. If you weren't making a difference, the majority of our students wouldn't have accepted you. Past mistakes and all." She tittered. "Even when you do give them an impossible obstacle course to conquer together."

"It's not impossible!" Fizzlepop declared with a small sniff. "They just have to work together and see the bigger picture. One of them has to take the reins as a leader and organize them into cohesive groups."

"But surely they should have been able to accomplish such a simple task by now," Starlight prodded.

"Of course not. It's a necessary lesson, but not something that happens overnight."

"And?" Starlight pointed out. "Who else on the staff would have thought of that except somepony who subconsciously knows that improvement takes time?"

Fizzlepop shook her head. "Oh, for Celestia's sake. Right. I get it, Starlight." She wrung her hooves. "But it's been nearly a year since I started working here. I had expected more progress by now."

"I think you're letting the opinions of others define you when you should be the one taking control of your own image." Starlight laid a hoof over Fizzlepop's." You're hung up on yesterday's mistakes, Fizzy, and it shows. If you can't get past your own mistakes, others will pick up on that, and they're going to have a hard time seeing past the image you're projecting. That, in turn, makes you feel worse about what you did, and the cycle keeps going."

"How did you manage to overcome your past?" Fizzlepop asked with genuine interest. "It seems like everything you needed for ponies to forgive and forget just dropped into your lap."

Starlight took a deep breath and sat back. "I got lucky. Really lucky. Falling in with Twilight and her friends did a lot of the work. Ponies accepted me a lot quicker than they accepted you after what I did, but that was circumstance more than anything." She held up her hooves when Fizzlepop opened her mouth to comment.

"Everyone is different, so you can't judge your own progress against that of others. Especially not myself. I still had to work at repairing my image and my self-confidence, but everyone's own story is different." Starlight tapped her chin in through. "You know, maybe Twilight could introduce you to a long-distance pen pal that had to work through problems very similar to yours. I bet you two would have a lot you could talk about."

"Long-distance pen pal?" Fizzlepop questioned. "Are we talking about Griffinstone or the zebra homeland?"

"Not quite," Starlight chuckled. "I met her once on a trip through a mirror, but we can talk about that later. So, feelings of inadequacy and troubles with Grubber aside, is there anything else bothering you?"

"Know any good remedies for trouble sleeping?" Fizzlepop answered with a bitter laugh.

"Exercise?" Starlight offered cheekily. "No coffee after lunch? Mediation before bedtime?"

Fizzlepop's face blanked. "Not helpful."

Starlight thought for a moment. "Well, Spike makes a great chamomile tea blended with passionflower and valerian root. I've used it a few times myself."

"The Hibernation Helper," Fizzlepop said, nodding. "Tried it. It helped, but it gave me weird dreams."

"If this is about bad dreams, I could send a letter to Princess Luna on your behalf."

"Is there any other kind of dream?" Fizzlepop opined quietly. She shook her head. "Thank you, but no. I don't need Princess Luna prying into my mind every night."

"Okay," Starlight agreed hesitantly. "The offer stands, and my door is always open. But let's get back to talking about your troubles with Grubber's tutoring."

Fizzlepop's quiet contemplation was abruptly replaced with a simmering irritation. "He refuses to take his assignments seriously!"

"Are you more upset that he's not taking his schoolwork seriously or that he's not responding to your tutoring efforts like you had hoped?" Starlight asked sagely.

Fizzlepop buried her face in her hooves. "Sometimes, I really hate that you're the counselor here, Starlight."

"That's it, Fizzy," Starlight giggled. "Take your time and let it all out because today is your lucky day." She made a show of scrutinizing the calendar on her back wall from the couch and then kicked back on the sofa. "I literally have all day."

Comments

[Melody Song]

Great job with the chapter! Poor Fizzy, I hope she and Grubber can make amends.

[Yoshifan30]

"Not quite," Starlight chuckled. "I met her once on a trip through a mirror, but we can talk about that later. So, feelings of inadequacy and troubles with Grubber aside, is there anything else bothering you?"

Oh wow I wonder if Sunset Shimmer is going to get involved

[Yoshifan30]

Oh boy things are not going to hot for fizzlepop and it looks like her and Grubber had a little argument with each other and she even blew up a ball and kind of scare the kids which I'm sure she didn't mean to it's really nice to see Starlight taking her job as counseling really helped and I wonder what else are they going to talk about and hopefully fizzlepop and Grubber find a common ground to this situation well I guess we'll find out next time

[Evil Paladin]

"You won’t have to worry about me ruining your oh-so precious plans anymore." He opened the door and trundled out into the mostly empty gym. Nearer the far side, a trio of young unicorns was using their telekinesis to toss a ball back and forth between them, their delighted shrieks and laughs echoing in the cavernous space.

I see what you're doing.

Fizzlepop twisted around, pivoting on her rear hooves in time to see a dandelion yellow sphere moments from impacting her face. Her pupils shrank, and a tingle ran up the back of her neck. Within a heartbeat, the jagged edges of her horn crackled with arcs of raw magic, and a twisting lash of prismatic energy whipped out and deflected the ball, charring the surface. Its smoldering, deflated remains flopped to the floor. Smoke curled up from the peeled surface and licked at Fizzlepop’s nose.

"Our ball!" three little voices cried out.

Fizzlepop paled at what she saw. The three fillies had ceased playing and stood in disheartened silence, their eyes flitted from Fizzlepop to the charred husk of their ball. In their eyes, the mare saw an all too familiar mix of emotions: Shock. Sadness. Fear.

In her ears, Fizzlepop could hear the faint laughter of three fillies enjoying an afternoon of tossing a yellow ball back and forth. The laughter was quickly drowned out by a fearsome roar. Then, there were no sounds of laughter—only silence.

"I... I'm. Oh," Fizzlepop stumbled. She picked up the remains of the ball in her teeth. "I'm so sorry, children. Let me get you a new one."

"Um, th-that's okay, Miss Fizzlepop," the first filly said, her coat like that of a green opal.

"Yeah," the second, a child with a sky blue coat, added. “We’re, uh, glad we didn’t bean you in the face, I guess...”

The third, her coat a shade of lighter maroon, spoke up as the trio hurriedly departed. "We need… to get to our next class." With no other explanation or words, the students ran for the nearest door.

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EDIT: Fixed picture

[Heavyhauler75622]

"Brussels Sprouts..."

+1 for Major Payne reference...!!!!

[Kaipony]

11078223
Love that movie.
“Filly, I am two seconds from being on you like white on rice in a glass of milk on a paper plate in a snowstorm.”